Gaming machines have long been a significant facet of the gaming industry. The most basic implementation is a mechanical device of laterally adjacent spinning reels, each bearing a number of symbols around its circumference. The player wagers an amount and invokes the reels to spin. The reels stop on random positions so that symbols on the laterally adjacent reels become aligned on a “pay line.” If predetermined symbols align on a pay line when the reels stop, then the player is awarded an amount that is inversely related to the probability of the occurrence of the symbols and defined according to a predetermined pay table. Video versions of game machines are now very popular.
A recent development in gaming is the addition of the element of skill into a game. Skills consist of a wide variety of areas such as strength, coordination, and endurance as well as a variety of mental attributes. One of the objectives of gaming regulation is to ensure that the playing of a gaming device is fair to all players regardless of any special physical or mental skills of the player. To that end, emphasis has been on the use of a random number generation technique to provide the “level playing field” for each player. To a large extent this has been a very successful approach to gaming. At first, the random feature was implemented via mechanical means. The shortcomings of this approach were cured with the advent of computer-based gaming devices. In these devices a random game result could be affected by use of a software program that would insure a consistently random result that was statistically sound. This approach also allowed for an independent verification of the device, which also assisted in achieving the goal of fairness by further limiting the opportunity to cheat the device.
The next logical step included the addition of a subset of mental skills in card games such as video poker. In these games the player has choices similar to those in a real card game. The game can be implemented to ensure that the minimum payout requirement of a jurisdiction can be achieved for an unskilled game player, while a skilled player may, on some occasions and for limited periods of time, achieve payout levels that exceeds 100%. These types of games have proved to be very popular with players to the point that they are among the largest numbers of game types in American casinos.
Gaming establishments are continually searching for new games and gaming systems to keep the interest of players. Gaming establishments are concerned that if players lose interest in a game, the gaming machine will sit idle and not contribute to the revenue of the casino. By developing new games, the gaming establishments hope to pique existing players' interests in continued wagering and to attract new players. In addition, players may tend to be more active and consistent in playing the gaming machines that have new games, thus enhancing the potential profit of the gaming machine.
To keep and increase players' interest in gaming, the gaming industry has added “bonus games” to many of its games, including reel and electronic slot machines. A bonus game is a secondary game that is typically activated when the player achieves a specific outcome in a primary game. For instance, the bonus game may be activated when the player receives a winning hand (in the case of a card game) or a specified combination of symbols (in the case of a reel-type game) as an outcome of the primary game being played. Bonus games appeal to players because the probability of winning combinations after entry into the bonus game is, at least, greatly enhanced and, in most instances, some sort of winning outcome is guaranteed.
The bonus game is typically a different type of game than the primary game. This provides more excitement and variety for the player and helps to keep the player at the gaming machine for a longer period of time. However, the bonus game may also be the same type of game as the primary game, except that the bonus game has an increased potential for winning in comparison to the primary game.
In many cases, the bonus game is a singular event in that the play changes to the bonus game when the specific outcome is achieved in the primary game. The bonus game is then played to completion. Examples of this type of bonus game are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,823,874, 5,848,932, 5,882,261 and 6,089,978, all to Adams. Various embodiments as disclosed in the aforementioned patents include methods of playing games employing gaming machines as well as table games for play of primary games and at least one payout indicator for a secondary or bonus game. The bonus game is independent of the primary game but is enabled by selected outcomes of the primary game. One embodiment operates such that when the reels of the primary game produce a preselected outcome, the bonus game is enabled. In the bonus game, the player initiates the spin of a wheel or reel bearing a number of payout values, or initiates another bonus event such as a bowling-type or pinball-type payout indicator. When the bonus event is completed, the amount of the bonus payout is indicated.
Another example of a bonus game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,976 to Schneider et al. In this design, the bonus game displays a multiplicity of images on a video monitor from which the player selects until achieving a pair of matched bonus awards.
In some cases, the bonus game is a more sequential event in that progressing through the bonus game is determined by continued play in the primary game. An example of this is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,384 to Barrie. In that design, the player can win the primary game on each play of the game, and the bonus game can be won over a plurality of plays of the primary game.
The bonus game may be conducted through a plurality of networked games such that the bonus game might involve a plurality of individuals who have been wagering at the primary games. Some examples of bonus gaming include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,779,544, 5,664,998 and 5,560,603, all to Seelig et al. More particularly, some examples of bonus gaming including a plurality of networked primary gaming machines include U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,273 to Olsen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,982 to Piechowiak et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,284 to Acres et al.
While the above-mentioned bonus games have been used in the gaming industry, improved gaming systems and methods are still needed to pique and maintain players' interests in gaming. Preferably, these improved gaming systems and methods would appeal to the player's competitive nature, introduce novel games of chance, and provide the potential for larger payoffs in comparison to the payoffs in the primary game and in other bonus games. These improved gaming systems and methods would offer a bonus game in which the players compete against one another or against a computer-generated opponent. Such a bonus game would increase the players' level of excitement because it would place the players in a more competitive setting than during play of a noncompetitive, conventional bonus game.
There have been some recent attempts to bring a skill level into a slot machine type of game. One example is the Ripley's Believe It or Not® slot machine game by Mikohn Gaming Corporation. This game has a bonus feature that allows the player to select answers to questions. The player is provided a series of questions and four possible answers for each question. If he answers a question correctly on the first try, he is awarded a specified bonus amount. If the player answers it incorrectly on the first try and correctly on the second try, he is awarded a lower specified bonus amount. This continues until his fourth try, at which point the player is awarded the minimum specified bonus amount. He then proceeds to answer the next and subsequent questions in a similar manner. At the end of the session, the player's total credits are added up and if they exceed a certain minimum level, he can proceed to the next level of questions.
It would be advantageous to provide a player with an enhanced playing experience in competitive gaming by using strategy and using an advantage won in association with play of a primary or base game in a later bonus game.